Connie Nielsen
Connie Nielsen, born July 3, 1965 in Elling, Frederikshavn, Denmark, is an actress. She stars as Meredith Kane in the first and second seasons. Her character is a publicist and the wife of Mayor Tom Kane. She has also appeared in the films The Devil's Advocate (1997), Gladiator (2000), One Hour Photo (2002), and Basic (2003). She also had a recurring role in the series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Biography Early life Nielsen was born in Frederikshavn, Denmark. Her father, Bent Nielsen, was a bus driver, and her mother was an insurance clerk who also acted and wrote musical reviews. She was raised a Mormon and grew up in a village named Elling. She began her acting career working alongside her mother on the local revue and variety scene. At 18, she traveled to Paris, France, where she worked as an actress and model, which led to further work and study in Italy—at drama school in Rome and in master classes with Lydia Styx, a teacher at Piccolo Teatro di Milano in Milan. She lived in Italy for many years, before moving to the United States, where she still resides. Career Nielsen's feature film debut was the Jerry Lewis French film Par Où T'es Rentré? On T'a Pas Vu Sortir in 1984, followed by a role in the Italian mini-series Colletti Bianchi in 1988. She appeared in the Italian film Vacanze di Natale '91 (1991) and the French film Le Paradis Absolument (1993). She moved to the United States in 1996 and made her first appearance in a major English-language film in 1997 as Christabella Andreoli in The Devil's Advocate, starring opposite Al Pacino and Keanu Reeves. This first minor breakthrough led to roles in the films Permanent Midnight (1998), Rushmore (1998), and Soldier (1998). In 2000, Nielsen became known to worldwide audiences as Lucilla in Ridley Scott's internationally acclaimed Academy Award–winning epic Gladiator, starring opposite Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix. Since then, she has starred in American films including Mission to Mars (2000), One Hour Photo (2002), The Hunted (2003), and Basic (2003). She also starred in the acclaimed French thriller Demonlover (2002), directed by Olivier Assayas. She played the Irish mother to an orphan in A Shine of Rainbows (2009). In 2004, Nielsen made her Danish film debut in the drama, Brødre (also known as Brothers) for which she won the Danish Best Actress Award, the Bodil, as well as Best Actress at the San Sebastian International Film Festival. She was also nominated for Best Actress at the European Film Awards. In 2006, Nielsen appeared in several episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as Det. Dani Beck. She filled in for Mariska Hargitay who was on maternity leave at the time of filming. Personal life Since 2004, Nielsen has been dating Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich. They have one son, Bryce Thadeus Ulrich-Nielsen, (b. 21 May 2007) in San Francisco. She has a son, Sebastian (born 2 June 1991), from a previous relationship. Credits Star External links *Connie Nielsen at IMDb *Connie Nielsen at Wikipedia *[[W:C:lawandorder:Connie Nielsen|Connie Nielsen at Law and Order Wiki, the wiki for the television franchise including Law & Order: Special Victims Unit]] Category:Cast Category:Starring Cast